The present disclosure relates to an optical measurement apparatus and a chip lifetime judgment method, more specifically, to an optical measurement apparatus including a judgment portion that judges a lifetime of a chip by optically detecting a sample flowing through a flow path in a detachable chip and a chip lifetime judgment method for judging a lifetime of a chip by optically detecting a sample flowing through a flow path in a detachable chip.
In recent years, along with a development of analysis techniques, a technique that causes biological microparticles such as a cell and a microorganism, microparticles such as microbeads, and the like to flow through a flow path to individually measure the microparticles in the flowing process and analyze and dispense the measured microparticles, and an optical measurement apparatus that uses such a technique are being developed.
As a typical example of such a technique of analyzing or dispensing microparticles using a flow path, an analysis technique called flow cytometry is being technologically improved. In addition, in the flow cytometry, a detachable microchip is starting to be used. For example, a microchip including a flow path through which a sheath fluid can flow and a microtubule for introducing a sample fluid into the sheath fluid laminar flow flowing through the flow path is known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2010-54492).
The technique of analyzing and dispensing microparticles in a flow path as in the flow cytometry is widely used in various fields such as a medical field, a drug development field, a clinical examination field, a food field, an agriculture field, an engineering field, a forensic medicine field, and a criminal identification field. In the medical field in particular, the technique plays an important role in pathology, tumor immunology, transplantation, genetics, regenerative medicine, chemotherapy, and the like.
In the optical measurement apparatus as described above, for improving a measurement accuracy or improving a working efficiency by lessening apparatus cleaning and the like, a detachable microchip, particularly a chip that is disposable after a predetermined period is used in many cases. In actuality, however, a user uses the chip for a long period of time or reuses it after washing it. In addition, since the user judges a lifetime of the detachable chip based on experiences or by instinct, there is a problem that the measurement accuracy of the optical measurement apparatus may be lowered or a defect is apt to occur.